The End Is Where We Begin
by Miraakulous Dragoneye
Summary: Just a little Spectra/KeithxGus story. Happens after the events of New Vestroia.
1. Chapter 1

The very first time Gus Grav realized he was in love with Spectra Phantom was when the two of them were stuck on Earth together in that warehouse. That was also the first time he had seen Spectra without his mask. He had been asleep, his face bearing that strange look of innocence everyone seemed to have while sleeping. It was freezing cold and damp from the constant raining, so Spectra was shivering, his skin pale and bluish. It had made him seem more real somehow, less like the Phantom he always portrayed.

Hesitantly, as though afraid he might wake, Gus removed his coat and laid it over his master, tucking it around like a blanket. Spectra made a noise and turned his face to one side, so it was only a few inches from Gus' own face as he knelt over him. Gus' breath caught as his heart sped up. Spectra's breath were coming out in puffs of steam as they hit the cold air, mingling with Gus' own. He slowly stood up and started to back away from his master before he pushed his luck too far. He started to turn when he heard Spectra mumble something behind him. Gus looked back and saw that Spectra had pulled the coat tighter around his body. He muttered something again, only slightly clearer this time, but Gus still heard it. His name.

That was when Gus realized he was in love with Spectra Phantom.

-x-

Gus felt the air rushing in his ears as the floor rose up to meet him. He heard people around him shouting but they seemed far away from him. He hit the ground hard, hard enough to make his teeth rattle and the pain from his various cuts and bruises and who knew what else flare up. A painful moan escaped him. Hands were on him, rolling him over onto his back. A voice.

"Gus? Gus! What's wrong? Look at me! _Gus!_ "

Gus struggled to look up. People were crowded around him, once his enemies but now his friends, and the face closest to Gus, the one who had always been a friend. As all the other faces faded into the black that was quickly taking over his vision, that was the one face he held on to.

"Master Spectra?" Gus whispered. Then he blacked out.

-x-

 _He was in a dark room, sitting in a chair with his arms tied behind his back. His ribs were throbbing from the beating he had just took and his lip stung from where it was slip. His mouth tasted coppery from blood. His normally soft blue hair hung matted and tangled, dirty. He glared up at the man standing a few feet from him with his arms crossed, his blood on the man's knuckles._

" _I'm going to ask you one more time. Where is the Resistance hiding?" the man snarled at him._

" _I told you, I don't know anything about the Resistance." he said brokenly. He was in so much pain. He just wanted to go back to his cell and sleep. Or rather, try to sleep._

 _The guard spat at him and moved forward, fists raised. "Wrong answer."_

Gus woke up choking and gasping, his chest tight. An erratic beeping noise came from somewhere on his left. Something pinched at the crease in his left arm. A sharp, antiseptic smell surrounded him, and he was clothed it what felt like paper. He was lying in a small bed wrapped in a thin blanket. The bed had rails on the sides, like one you'd find in the hospital.

Wait, hospital?

"Oh great." Gus groaned, his head falling back and smacking against the wall. He winced.

"Gus?' a little brown ball lying in the creases of his blanket twitched and opened. "You're awake!"

"Vulcan?" Gus rasped. He scooped up his partner in one hand and held him up. "What's going on? What am I doing here? The last thing I remember is battling with Master Spectra and the Brawlers to destroy the Alternative. And I think I blacked out…"

"Well, we won of course. Dan and the other two humans returned to Earth. And yes you did black out. You've been here in the hospital on Vestal for almost four days."

"Almost four days?! Why?!"

"Well...a lot of things actually. For starters, you have cuts and bruises all over your body. Not to mention five cracked ribs and you've also suffered malnutrition. Two days ago you had a raging fever that finally went down and now the doctors are saying you might have PTSD."

Gus groaned again. "What about everyone else? Are they okay?" _Is Master Spectra okay?_

"They're here. Mira and Keith at least. Ace and Baron stopped by but they had to get back home. Keith wouldn't leave until Mira forced him to, and even then only because his stomach was so loud it was shaking the room. They're coming back though."

"Keith?" Gus asked, confused.

"Spectra. At least, that's what he wants to be called now."

Gus was confused by all this. Yes, he knew Keith was Master Spectra's real name, but why was he choosing to go by it now?

Gus shuddered as a sudden unpleasant flashback rolled through heart monitor to his left sped up again.

"Gus? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, it's nothing." said Gus. "But that thing is starting to irritate me." He reached over and ripped the needle and wires out of his arm, which made the monitor flatline and a dot of bright blood well up in the crease of his left elbow.

"Gus! Put that back in! You don't know wh-," Vulcan cut off as the door to Gus' room burst open and Master Spectra came in. Only he wasn't wearing his mask, nor his coat and uniform. Instead he had on a simple black t-shirt and jeans, with a tan corduroy jacket on. He looked rumpled and un-put together, with shadows under his eyes, made more prominent by the fact that he was deathly pale, like something had scared him.

 _But that was impossible. Master Spectra isn't scared of anything._

Spectra's eyes flicked to Gus, then to the monitor, then to the needles and wires hanging from it. Relief washed over his face, but was instantly replaced by anger.

"Gus, what are you _doing?_ " he snapped, storming over to him. "You're not supposed take these out! What they hell were you _thinking?_ " Gus cringed away from Master Spectra, from his anger. Even though Spectra had never hurt him, in the past month a lot of other people had.

"I-I'm sorry Master. I was just- I mean-," Gus stuttered out, afraid to make him angrier.

Spectra's expression softened somewhat. "I'm sorry Gus. I didn't mean to yell, it's just...I heard the monitor flatline and thought…" he heaved a shuddering sigh and ran one hand through his hair.

 _He thought...what? That I was dead?_ Gus swallowed as the concept appeared to him. _I almost did die though, didn't I? If Hydron hadn't been there, I would've been killed during the fight, if the torture didn't first._ "I'm sorry Master, I didn't mean to scare you or worry you." He hung his head, expecting to be reprimanded or yelled at again.

Instead, he just laugh. It was a short, tired, relieved sound. "It's okay Gus. As long as you're alright, nothing else matters."

 _Nothing?_

"And Gus, you don't have to call me 'Master Spectra' anymore. Just call me Keith, please."

 _Please?_

Gus had a feeling something else had changed as well, but he didn't know what.

-x-

Gus lay curled up in his bed, wrapped in about five different blankets. It was freezing and the fact that he had lost a lot of weight while imprisoned wasn't helping. He had gotten some of it back in the last three weeks but Gus could still easily count his ribs. He had been released from the hospital th day he had woken up. According to the doctor, he could be discharged but only under the condition that he had someone living with him. So, that was how he came to stay with Keith. And Mira too, of course, because now that brother and sister were together again, there was no separating them. The doctor had taped up his ribs nice and tight so all he had to do was not overexert himself, which was easy since Keith and Mira hardly let him do anything more than stand up and walk. Gus had also had all the cuts and gashes treated for infection. They would all heal, but some might scar the doctor had warned, mainly the one on his stomach, one slantwise one in the middle of his back, and a small round one on his thigh. Most of his bruises were fading to a greenish-yellow color, except for the ones on his ribs, which were still a purplish color, except around the edges.

The other thing he had to do was visit the hospital once a month for the next three months to make sure he was healing properly. He was also offered therapy for any PTSD but Gus refused, hating the very idea of it.

Lying there in his bed huddled to keep warm Gus realized he had to take a piss, but he really didn't want to get up. It was so hard for him to get comfortable these days that, in the rare moments where he actually was comfortable, he hated having to give it up for anything. He wondered whether or not he could hold it for a little while. But then he probably would be _really_ uncomfortable then.

Sighing in resignation, he got up from his comfy bed, opened his bedroom door, and went down the hall to the bathroom. He made sure to close the bathroom door all the way before turning on the light. He quickly pissed, flushed, and washed his hands. Gus' mouth felt dry and tasted funny. The idea of drinking from the bathroom faucet with his hand wasn't very appealing to him, which would mean another trip to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

He turned the bathroom light off and then quietly crept down the hall to the kitchen. He opened the cabinet where the glasses were kept, wincing as the hinges squeaked. He took down a glass, closed the cabinet, then filled the glass from the kitchen sink. He sucked the water down in a matter of seconds, then refilled it. This one he drank slower, and he had drained it half-way when he heard a voice behind him "Gus? What're you doing up?"

Gus choked on his water and coughed, setting his glass down and turning around to see Keith standing in the kitchen entryway shirtless, wearing sweatpants, hair messy, and rubbing his face with one hand. Gus tore his eyes from his bare chest and swallowed. "Nothing Ma-, I mean, Keith. I just wanted some water. That's all." He still had some difficulty calling his old Master by his real name. Old habits die hard

"You could've woken me up. Or Mira. One of us could've gotten it for you."

"I didn't want to wake you up, you do enough for me already." he mumbled. Gus shivered suddenly and hugged his arms to his chest. How Keith could stand there wearing only sweatpants and not be cold, while Gus was freezing and he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and flannel pajama bottoms, was a mystery to Gus. "How're you not cold like that?" Gus wondered aloud.

"What, you mean like this?" Keith gestured to his bare chest and shrugged. Gus struggled not to stare. "I feel fine. Comfortable really, but if you're cold I can cut the heat up."

Gus shook his head "No, I'll be fine. Just as soon as I get back to my bed, that is." His bed and his massive mound of blankets. He started to exit the kitchen when he remembered his glass of water sitting on the counter. He turned back for it but Keith brushed past him saying "I'll get it." He was extremely warm, and Gus leaned towards him as he passed.

"Did you want more, or were you done?" Keith questioned.

"Maybe a little more." Gus admitted, then added, because his ribs hurt a little. "And some pain killers too, please?"

Keith nodded. "Go ahead back to your room and I'll bring it to you."

Gus nodded and crept back down the hall to his room. He crawled back into his bed and was trying to straighten his covers back to the way he had them when Keith came in, holding a glass of water in one hand and a small palmful of pills in the other.

"Here." Gus sat up a little straighter and took the pills, draining the water from the glass. "Thank-you." he said, then noticed that one of his blankets had fallen on the floor. "Could you please hand me that?" he asked.

Keith picked it up but didn't put it in Gus' outstretched hand. Instead, he draped it over Gus and tucked it around him. Gus was extremely conscious of his nearness.

"There. Comfortable now?" Keith asked.

"Yes." Gus breathed.

Keith grunted and took the glass back from him. "Call me if you need anything." he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Gus still did need something though.

 _I need him._

* * *

 _This story will have a second chapter. Yes, I am still doing Rebirthing, no I will not have a new chapter up by the end of this week._


	2. Chapter 2

Spectra had thought there would be nothing left of him once you took away the darkness of the Vexos and the screams of a few hundred fans and his aura of red, black, and blinding power. But here he was, almost two months later, and it turned out there was another man underneath the mask; _Keith Clay_ , someone he thought he would never be again. Now, he was a fan of the simple pleasures of life: grilled cheese without black flecks on the crust, jeans that didn't pinch the better parts of him, coffee so filled with sugar and creamer it was almost completely white, ten to twelve hours of sleep, his sister's smile.

And Gus.

Keith wasn't sure how he felt about Gus now. Once his colleague, then loyal companion, now roommate and friend, which was enough, right? And yet, if it was, then what were these feelings Keith got when he was around him? Feelings that made his heart speed up and his breathing hitch and his head spin?

He didn't know if Gus felt these things as well, and yet there were some times when the blue-haired man betrayed little gestures that might lead to the idea of such emotions, but nothing to concrete. It was like an itch, fine if he was busy, but murder while he was standing still. He didn't know how to deal with it, the strange insecure feeling he got when he thought about revealing himself. The Phantom inside of him would've just shoved the emotions aside and took what it wanted from the bluenette.

But that wasn't him anymore. And he didn't want to hurt Gus, who had already been hurt enough in the past few months. Keith hated it, seeing the stiff movements Gus made, the way his face would go white whenever he jostled his ribs. It made Keith wish Zenoheld was still alive just so he could kill him again.

That day he was with Gus at his doctor's appointment to check up on his condition for the second time. He was doing extremely well, almost all of his cuts healed save for the ones on his stomach, back, and thigh. Those were still a little raw, but would heal in another week or two, the doctor had said, along with Gus' ribs. It made Keith feel relieved and he thought Gus would too. He supposed the bluenette would later, after they had left the hospital, a place that always seemed to put Gus on edge. Keith couldn't really blame him, he disliked hospitals even at the best of times. But still, he didn't like the way Gus' eyes hollowed out and how jittery he got while waiting on the small cot, talking to the doctor, glancing at Keith now and again as if to make sure he was still there. Everytime he did, Keith flashed him a reassuring smile, which seemed to calm him.

When they had finished with the doctor and were leaving the hospital, Keith asked Gus "So, what do you want to do now?"

"Huh? Oh," Gus said, after being seemingly lost in thought. "I don't know. Do you… want to do something?" he asked nervously. That was another thing that bothered Keith, Gus was so timid about everything now. Like he thought he was going to be punished for asking a question. Keith felt a little guilty, because he felt he must have put a part of that there. As Spectra, with his requirement of unquestioning loyalty.

 _Keith wanted to reach out and hug Gus, brush back his blue hair, tell him he didn't need to be afraid, that Keith wouldn't let anything hurt him-_

Keith cleared his throat. "I asked you, not me."

Gus' green eyes blanked out for a moment, and the blue haired man shuddered, a quick, barely noticeable movement, except that Keith had seen him do it several times before.

 _What did I say?!_ Keith thought, panicked. Then Gus' expression cleared.

"Well...lunch would be nice." Gus said faintly, giving Keith a weak smile. After almost of month of eating next to nothing, Gus' stomach had shrunk. Recently, however, he had been getting his appetite back. And by that, Keith meant he could hear Gus having late-night nom-nom raids.

"Lunch it is then." Keith said, taking his car keys out of his pocket.

-x-

Keith had taken them to a simple, yet classy diner. Not a grand, opulent restaurant where you usually couldn't pronounce half of the words on the menu and the prices were bigger than the food portions.

Nope, that wasn't him anymore.

Gus kind of liked it, to be honest.

They were sitting on opposite sides in an old, red, possibly plastic furnished booth. Both already had their food, burgers that were greasy enough to taste good but not enough that it left film in their mouths. Even though Gus had gotten a little more than Kieth, he had still finished before him. And sucked down most of his drink. Now he just sat there, slowly shredding a napkin while Keith finished, not that he had much left. Gus tried not to stare at the fries left on the blond's plate. He must not have been doing a very good job, because a moment later Keith dumped the rest of his fries on Gus plate.

"You don't have to do that." Gus said, but it didn't really carry much weight since he was already reaching for the fries.

Keith shrugged. "You can have them. I'm full anyway."

Gus felt grateful, yet also slightly embarrassed at his ravenous hunger. The two mens hadn't spoken too much during their lunch, but suddenly Gus felt awkward with the silence.

"So...uh...how're things...at work?" Gus asked lamely. Keith and Mira had taken over the company their father had once run. It used to fund the research of things such as the mechanical Bakugan and the BT System, but now the Clay siblings were turning it into something more... _productive_. Gus could probably be working there too, if not for his injuries.

"Slow." Keith responded, not commenting on Gus; awkwardness. "Honestly, really boring. It would be better if you were there."

"I'd love to help." Gus blurted out. He missed working alongside the blond they way they always used too, when it was just the two of them. Not even work, just being with Keith.

Really, Gus just hated being alone in the house all the time.

"Not now, not until you've completely recovered." Keith said sternly. Gus looked down, slightly embarrassed. Keith spoke again, softer this time. "I just don't want you to push yourself."

Gus sighed. He finished his last fry and wiped his fingers on a napkin.

"If you're done, we can go. Unless you wanted something else?" Keith said. Gus could feel his leg pressing against his under the table.

 _He wanted, he wanted-_

Gus shook his head. "I'm fine, let's go."

Keith stood up, stretching as he did so, his shirt lifting up slightly. Gus swallowed and glanced away. He slid out of the booth, accidentally banging his ribs on the edge of the table. He sucked in a sharp breath as a sudden pain lanced up his side.

"What's wrong?" Keith said sharply.

"Nothing." Gus grunted as he stood up. "I'm fine. Hit my side, that's all."

Keith's blue eyes regarded him carefully for a moment before nodding. Gus sighed.

Keith threw some bills on the table for the waitress, then the two of them paid at the register and left. Gus had one hand cupped over his side where he hit it, rubbing it carefully. It wasn't really his ribs as much as the faint bruising left on his skin and in his muscles. When they got to the car, he got in carefully, not wanting to irritate his side. He still winced slightly and Keith noticed as he got in.

"Here," he reached across Gus and opened the glove compartment. A little bottle of painkillers was rolling around in it.

"Thank-you." Gus said gratefully, even though he technically he was supposed to be weaning himself off medication. He unscrewed the bottle and shook a white tablet out into his hand.

"I don't have anything for you to take it with." Keith said apologetically.

"That's fine. I can just," Gus put the pill in his mouth and dry-swallowed. He put the bottle back and closed the glove compartment.

Keith pursed his lips. "So, where to now?"

"I don't know. Home, I guess."

"Are you sure?"

Gus frowned. He didn't particularly want to go back and sit around the house all day. "I mean, there's not really anywhere else to go, is there?"

Keith leaned back in his seat with his lips still pursed, staring out of the windshield, thinking. He started to speak slowly "Gus, would you mind if I took you somewhere I used to go when I was younger?"

"Not at all." Gus said, slightly surprised, but curious at the same time.

-x-

The place Keith took them too was an old dilapidated warehouse. Gus as struck with a sudden wave of nostalgia; even though this wasn't the same warehouse, even though they weren't on Earth. He swallowed.

"C'mon." Keith said, getting out of the car; Gus followed. The blond led them over to the side of the warehouse where a rusty ladder was attached to the wall, leading all the way to the roof. "You first."

"Up the ladder?" he asked. Keith nodded. "Why do I go first?"

"So I can catch you if you fall." Keith said, flashing a familiar smirk. Gus felt his cheeks get warm. He quickly started to climb the ladder, feeling it creak whenever Keith climbed up after him.

When Gus reached the top, he climbed over the lip of the roof and moved away from the ladder to allow Keith to get up. He looked around, his breath catching at what he saw.

 _I can see almost the whole city from up here!_

"I used to come up here to think a lot." Keith said, coming to stand beside Gus. "What do you think?"

"I love it." Gus breathed. Keith smiled.

Gus could, strangely, almost picture that long ago Keith coming up here; with his white and gold shirt, strawberry blond hair, familiar blue eyes, even then wearing a confident smile. Gus smiled to himself, pleased that Keith had shared this place with him.

A sudden gust of cold wind blew on them, and Gus shivered, shrinking in on himself.

"Cold?" Keith asked. "Do you want to go back down?"

"No, I'll be fine." Gus insisted.

"If you say so." Keith said, going to sit on a discarded crate on the roof. He patted the space beside him and grinned lazily at Gus. He flushed and hesitantly went to go sit beside the blond.

"What's the matter? I won't bite." Keith said.

"I'm just...trying to give you some space." mumbled the bluenette.

"I don't mind. You can sit closer if you want."

Hesitantly, Gus scooted closer to him. This close, Gus could feel the heat emanating off of Keith. Gus swallowed and hugged his arms to his chest, trying to ignore the burning desire he felt to reach out and touch the blond.

"Why so tense?" Keith asked curiously.

"Just...just cold." That was technically true.

"Here." Gus felt something warm wrap around his shoulders, closing around his body. Keith's jacket.

"What about-" Gus protested.

"You did the same for me." Keith reminded him quietly.

And suddenly, just like , it hit Gus: He was in love with Keith Clay. And just like then, he didn't know what to do about it.

* * *

Next chapter will last chapter. Hope your enjoying this so far.


	3. Chapter 3

Today was Gus' last time visiting the hospital. His ribs were healed, and he had three tight shiny cars, the only long term physical mark from his ordeal. He should've been happy, right?

But Gus wasn't happy.

It was kind of silly, really, the reason he wasn't, but what it came down to was this: Now that he had recovered, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep living with Keith and Mira. He didn't really know where else to go. He supposed he could get his own apartment, and yet-

He couldn't see how he was going to live without them. Especially Keith, who he had always been with while he was Spectra. Gus couldn't remember how his life worked before meeting him.

So there Gus was, chewing his lip, out late that night with Keith at one of those convenience stores, the ones for the oh-damn-I-forgot-the-milk moments. Which was why they were there; for milk. They needed milk because Mira had made cookies from scratch. Cookies required milk.

So there you go.

Gus had been feeling keyed up anyway and wanted to get out. He trailed along behind Keith, letting his gaze drift across random displays as he thought of possible ways to bring up the topic to Keith. He was failing. Miserably.

His gaze fell on a rack of condoms and stayed a second too long. Keith glanced back and caught him looking, causing him to blush and tear his gaze away. Keith smirked and looked forward again.

They were in front of the freezers where the milk was. Gus stared at the rows of dairy, still chewing his lip, thinking.

"Two percent is a nice compromise if you're torn between skim and whole." Keith drawled, a smile still on his face.

"I wasn't thinking about the milk." Gus admitted.

"What about, then?" asked Keith, reaching past him to open the freezer to grab the milk. A blast of cold air emitted from the open door. Gus shivered, but not from the chill, rather, from the nearness of Keith.

 _You, you, you, I'm thinking about you._

Gus didn't say anything. He didn't say anything when Keith closed the freezer, he didn't say anything when they went to the front to pay, he didn't say anything when they went back to the car. He didn't say anything until Keith held him the milk to hold while he drove and asked "Are you ever going to answer my question?"

Gus sighed. "I'm just… wondering what I'm going to do now."

"What do you mean?" asked Keith while backing out of the lot.

"Well… it's just… " Gus sighed again, then decided to just bite the bullet and say it. "Am I still going to be able to live with you?" the word came out in a rush.

"What?" Keith asked Gus in a shocked voice. Gus' heart sank, then "Why would you ask that? Of course you can still live with me!"

"I-I can?" Gjus asked, a bright flicker of hope flaring up in his chest.

"Gus, you'll _always_ be able to stay with me if you need to." Keith said softly. He frowned, then added "I mean, if you _wanted_ to get your own place… "

"No, no! That's fine." Gus laughed, a relieved and elated sound. "I like staying with you."

Keith smiled "I do too."

Gus was extremely happy to hear that; he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

-x-

Keith jerked awake at some time in the middle of the night.

 _Another bad dream…_

He sighed to himself, wincing when he realized his head was pounding. His head had been hurting a lot lately. He figured he should go to the kitchen and take an ibuprofen. Keith got up, the bed springs squeaking slightly.

"Where are you going?" Helios mumbled from his nightstand.

"Headache." Keith replied.

Helios grunted and didn't say anything more. Keith left his room and crept down the hall to the kitchen; it still smelled faintly of the cookies Mira had baked earlier. He opened the cabinet where they kept the medication and grabbed what he though was the ibuprofen, but when he pulled it out, it was Gus' pain medication. Keith stared at it.

 _Gus won't really be needing this anymore…_ But he couldn't seem to bring himself to just throw it away. In a weird way, he was going to miss the Gus from the past three months. Not the pain he was in, but the way he would always look to Keith for things. After years of having Gus do so much for him, he found he was pleased to have their roles reversed. Keith remembered Gus' shy expression from earlier when he asked if he could still live with him. At first, Keith had panicked thinking Gus didn't _want_ to stay with him. The thought had brought a sudden sharp pain through his chest. He shouldn't have worried though.

 _I like staying with you._

Keith smiled then heard a noise behind him. He turned to see Mira padding into the kitchen. "Mira, what are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing." she said, coming to stand beside him. She glanced down at the pill bottle in his hand. "Isn't that Gus' medication?"

"Yeah, I grabbed it by accident." Keith said, putting it back in the cabinet and grabbing the ibuprofen. "I was just thinking about how he wouldn't need it anymore."

"You don't sound very happy about it." Mira noted.

Keith sighed "No, I am. I'm glad he's not in pain anymore."

"But?"

Keith didn't respond, not knowing what to say.

"Keith," Mira said softly "when are you going to tell him?'

He looked at her. "How did you know?"

"Because I know you. I'm not blind Keith, I see you two act around each other all the time."

Keith sighed again, happy that someone knew and yet slightly sad at the same time; he wasn't really surprised. "I don't know. It's complicated."

"It's not as complicated as you make it out to be."

"Maybe." Really what Keith was afraid of was being rejected.

"I'm not trying to force you Keith. Just think about it, okay"?" she said hugging him; he hugged her back. "Just be happy Keith."

"Getting there." he whispered softly.

"Get there faster." she pecked him on the cheek and let him go. She started to exit the kitchen, calling over her shoulder "Goodnight Keith."

"Goodnight Mira." he responded before turning his attention back to the bottle in his hand. Talking with his sister seemed to clear his head; it didn't hurt as much.

 _Maybe I don't really need these._

He put the pill bottle back in the cabinet and, as he did, his gaze fell once again on Gus' old medication.

Suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

Keith walked quickly and quietly down the hall to Gus' room, stopping right outside the door. He took a deep breath and, before he could lose his nerve, knocked on the door. A long, anxious moment passed and he debated knocking again. Or just walking away. The he heard movement on the other side of the door and a second later it opened. Gus was looking at him with sleepy green eyes and wearing a slightly confused expression on his face.

"Keith? What is it?" Gus asked sleepily.

Keith's eyes took in everything about Gus: his messy blue hair, groggy green eyes, dark long sleeve shirt slightly rumpled from sleep, sweatpants, his bare feet. His eyes darted back up to meet Gus', who was still looking confused. Keith opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead, Keith crushed his lips to Gus', trying to _show_ him what he was feeling. The bluenette was frozen against him. Keith pulled away, taking in Gus' shocked expression. Immediately, he tried to backtrack.

"I-I'm sorry." Keith stuttered, feeling exposed and embarrassed. "I-I won't do that again. Ju-just forget about it." he started to turn and back away. Something grabbed his arm and he turned back to find Gus' green eyes locked on his.

Swiftly, Gus pressed his lips to Keith's, warm and soft. He responded immediately, bringing his hands up to cup the bluenette's face. His lips and hands burned, a slow smoldering flame, where he was touching Gus. He poured everything he had been feeling for the past several months into the kiss, Gus responding with the same intensity. The kiss seemed to go on forever, and yet it some ways, it wasn't long enough.

Reluctantly, Keith pulled away to look at Gus once more. The bluenette was looking at him, a soft shy smile on his face. Keith smiled back, lightly stroking one thumb down the side of Gus' face. Softly, Keith whispered "I love you."

Then, in a voice sounding like it had waited a thousand years to say it, Gus said "I love you too."

* * *

 _And there you have it. Hope you all enjoyed this short little story. Who knows, maybe I'll do something else with it, albeit probably not under this title, but canon to it. Thank-you all for your support, especially you, Troth, who re-inspired me to keep writing this after I read through several of your works._


End file.
